The Iranian nuclear standoff is coming into the international limelight again, as the meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 35-member board of governors began in Vienna on Monday.
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The director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei attends a meeting in Vienna March 2, 2009. [Xinhuanet.com]
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Iran denies latest US accusations
Iran denied again on Monday that it was seeking to make a nuclear bomb after Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a televised interview on Sunday that Tehran had got enough fissile material to build such a weapon.
"We think they do, quite frankly," Mullen told the CNN when asked if Iran had obtained enough nuclear material to produce an atomic bomb.
"And Iran having a nuclear weapon, I've believed for a long time, is a very, very bad outcome for the region and for the world," the top U.S. military commander said.
"All this talk is baseless," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said in response, speaking at a weekly news conference.
Iran is a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and all its nuclear programs are under the supervision of the IAEA and monitored by IAEA cameras, he said.
"For that (making a nuclear bomb) to be true, two things would have to happen... first, Iran has to exit the NPT and second, it should be proved that Iran is seeking high-enriched uranium," Ghashghavi said.
"The remarks by the U.S. admiral were also immediately revised by (Robert) Gates," he added.
Gates, the incumbent U.S. defense secretary who also appeared on the Sunday talk shows, struck a cautious note on Iran's nuclear project, saying: "They're not close to a stockpile. They're not close to a weapon at this point."
Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said on Sunday that it was not possible to say how much nuclear fuels Iran had accumulated.
"There are differing views not only outside the government but also inside the government" on how far Iran has gone, Wood added.
IAEA urges Iran to "unblock" nuclear stalemate
Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the IAEA, said on Monday that he hoped Iran could "unblock" its nuclear standoff.
"I again urge Iran to implement all measures required to build confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program at the earliest possible date and to unblock this stalemated situation," ElBaradei said in his opening speech to the IAEA's board of governors meeting.
While he did not specifically talked about U.S. President Barack Obama's "direct diplomacy," ElBaradei emphasized: "I am hopeful that the apparent fresh approach by the international community to dialogue with Iran will give new impetus to the efforts to resolve this long-standing issue."
Nearly a month ago, speaking to reporters at his first press conference since the inauguration ceremony on January 20, Obama said his administration was "looking for openings" to start face-to-face talks with Iran.
"My expectation is, in the coming months, we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table face-to-face with diplomatic overtures that will allow us to move our policy in a new direction," Obama said.
"It's important that, even as we engage in this direct diplomacy, Iran understands that we find the funding of terrorist organizations unacceptable, that we're clear about the fact that a nuclear Iran could set off a nuclear arms race in the region that would be profoundly destabilizing," the president added.
In response to Obama's "direct diplomacy," Iran has urged Washington to change its strategy to facilitate the direct talks with Tehran.
"This depends on whether the United States is prepared to change its strategy. We have to know what their objectives are... Practical steps for such a dialogue between Tehran and Washington would be a strategy change," said Iranian parliament Speaker Ali Larijani when attending the Munich Security Conference early February.
"The carrot and stick policy must be dropped," Larijani emphasized.